


Airport Diversion

by karelian



Category: Actor RPF, Lord of the Rings RPF
Genre: Community: contrelamontre, Friendship, Goodbyes, M/M, Schmoop, Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2003-02-21
Updated: 2003-02-21
Packaged: 2017-10-13 06:17:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 969
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/133909
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/karelian/pseuds/karelian
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Orlando drove them, partly out of curiosity.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Airport Diversion

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Cinzia](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cinzia/gifts).



> Written for the contrelamontre outside-POV challenge. 55 minutes plus very fast beta by Cinzia. This is for her.

Orlando drove, partly out of curiosity and partly because he was sincerely worried about Viggo's ability to get there and back without getting preoccupied and driving off the road. He got to Sean's at eight like they'd planned, and pretended to believe Viggo when Viggo claimed he'd come over early to save Orli having to drive to his place. As if Viggo weren't wearing the same clothes he'd been moping in at the bar the night before, suffering through Sean's farewell party.

Sean was stiff and polite and appreciative, while Viggo wasn't pretending to be happy about anything at all. Orlando threw the two biggest duffels beside him on the front seat so neither of them would feel obligated to sit there; after refusing to let Viggo drive distracted, he didn't want to be glancing worriedly out of the corner of his eye at someone next to him, who would in turn be glancing with longing at the back seat.

Sean talked practically nonstop, and Orlando joined him in dialogue because all the nervous energy rubbed off on him and he couldn't handle Viggo's quiet. It was hard to tell whether Viggo was having trouble speaking or just wanted to let Sean's voice fill him up, uninterrupted, without imposing his own will on the topic of conversation or the mood. He barely stirred, and Orlando had the impression that he was holding Sean's hand tightly underneath their jackets, but Orlando couldn't really tell from the rear-view mirror and didn't want to stare.

"You'll be back for reshoots," he said enthusiastically during a lull in the conversation.

"Next year." The way Sean said the words, it might have been "forever," and Orlando's throat hurt for him. As homesick as he'd been, a lot of the time, he wasn't ready to go home and say goodbye yet to these films and these people, and he wasn't even in love with any of them. At least Peter had had the sense to schedule lots of action sequences over the next week, and most of Aragorn's big emotional scenes somewhat later. Viggo was going to be heartbreaking saying goodbye to Arwen if he could reproduce the expression he was wearing now, and Orlando thought that he should keep it in mind for Legolas during the scene at Helm's Deep, insisting that they were all going to die.

They all snapped at each other a little unloading the bags at the airport, trying to straighten out who was bringing what and which bags were meant to be checked as opposed to carried. Watching the bigger bags slide down the conveyor, Orlando got a sense of awful finality and offered to go get coffee for all three of them, giving the other two a few minutes alone. But Sean didn't want coffee, afraid of upsetting his stomach before getting on a plane which he loathed under the best of circumstances, and Viggo was responding to all questions in monosyllables.

So they sat unhappily together on uncomfortable airport lounge seats, trying to force a conversation about the weather in London. Orlando decided to demand a care package, which in spite of sounding selfish really served to remind Sean that he'd still be connected to them even back home. Even Viggo cheered up a bit listening to Sean and Orlando debate which brands of biscuits were worth shipping halfway around the world, and when they called Sean's plane, they were arguing contentedly about whether the guys would all get their pictures taken wearing Sheffield United jerseys, even in the unlikely scenario that they won.

Sean gave Orlando a brief, hard squeeze with a slap on the back and then hugged Viggo like he was holding on for life, which, maybe, was the point. Because Viggo let Sean hide his face against his neck, which left his own face exposed in a way he'd been trying to avoid, it seemed, for days. Orlando studied the older man's expression as he tried to hold on to his misery; Viggo bit down on his lower lip, eyes clenched tightly shut, head inclined inward toward Sean's. "Call," he said in a rough voice. "Don't worry about what time it is. Or if it's too soon or any of that shit, okay?"

"Yeah. You too," said Sean, who lifted his head and wiped his eyes while Orlando took a quick glance around, wondering if anyone recognized them and if anyone would make anything of Sean Bean crying in an airport even if they did see. Then Sean reached out and pulled Orlando into their embrace, maybe thinking it would be easier to walk away from Viggo if they both let go of him at the same time.

"Go on, you northern bastard," Orlando said, hearing Viggo make a sound that could have been a snort or a sniffle. Sean leaned over to give Orlando a big kiss on the cheek, then kissed Viggo hard on the mouth, so close that Orlando wanted to back off but he was shielding them from half the lounge.

When Sean pulled away, he let go of both of them, stepping back and breaking eye contact. Viggo didn't look like he could speak, so Orlando did it for him: "Love you, you twat!" Sean pulled one of his killer grins from somewhere and flashed it at them both, then turned, picking up his bags.

"I'll call," he said over his shoulder, to Viggo. To Orlando he said, "You too, wanker." And strode away without looking back, though Viggo stood staring after him after he disappeared.

"You gonna take a picture?" Orlando asked him eventually.

"Already did." Viggo turned and really looked at Orlando for the first time all morning. His lashes were damp but his eyes were clear. "Come on, I'll get you coffee. And hey -- thanks."


End file.
